The Hebrew, Latin and Greek that is transliterated as “Solomon” in English is translated in Spanish Sign Language with the sign for “wise” referring to 1 Kings 3:12. (Source: Steve Parkhurst)
Some languages do not have a concept of kingship and therefore no immediate equivalent for the Greek, Hebrew, Aramaic, and Latin that is translated as “king” in English. Here are some (back-) translations:
Ninia Yali: “big brother with the uplifted name” (source: Daud Soesilio in Noss 2007, p. 175)
Nyamwezi: mutemi: generic word for ruler, by specifying the city or nation it becomes clear what kind of ruler (source: Pioneer Bible Translators, project-specific translation notes in Paratext)
Ghomála’: Fo (“The word Fo refers to the paramount ruler in the kingdoms of West Cameroon. He holds administrative, political, and religious power over his own people, who are divided into two categories: princes (descendants of royalty) and servants (everyone else).” (Source: Michel Kenmogne in Theologizing in Context: An Example from the Study of a Ghomala’ Christian Hymn))
Faye Edgerton retells how the term in Navajo (Dinė) was determined:
“[This term was] easily expressed in the language of Biblical culture, which had kings and noblemen with their brilliant trappings and their position of honor and praise. But leadership among the Navajos is not accompanied by any such titles or distinctions of dress. Those most respected, especially in earlier days, were their headmen, who were the leaders in raids, and the shaman, who was able to serve the people by appealing for them to the gods, or by exorcising evil spirits. Neither of these made any outward show. Neither held his position by political intrigue or heredity. If the headman failed consistently in raids, he was superceded by a better warrior. If the shaman failed many times in his healing ceremonies, it was considered that he was making mistakes in the chants, or had lost favor with the gods, and another was sought. The term Navajos use for headman is derived from a verb meaning ‘to move the head from side to side as in making an oration.’ The headman must be a good orator, able to move the people to go to war, or to follow him in any important decision. This word is naat’áanii which now means ‘one who rules or bosses.’ It is employed now for a foreman or boss of any kind of labor, as well as for the chairman of the tribal council. So in order to show that the king is not just a common boss but the highest ruler, the word ‘aláahgo, which expresses the superlative degree, was put before naat’áanii, and so ‘aláahgo naat’áanii ‘anyone-more-than-being around-he-moves-his-head-the-one-who’ means ‘the highest ruler.’ Naat’áanii was used for governor as the context usually shows that the person was a ruler of a country or associated with kings.”
And all the men of Israel assembled to King Solomon: Good News Translation replaces the words all the men of Israel with the pronoun “they.” This implies that all the men of Israel, who are mentioned here in verse 2, refer to the same persons whom Solomon called to Jerusalem in verse 1. Bible en français courant, on the other hand, very clearly indicates that verse 2 speaks of additional people (“Then all the Israelites assembled also”), and this seems to express correctly the meaning of the Hebrew. The word men is not intended to exclude the women of Israel, so New Revised Standard Version translates “All the people of Israel….” Some interpreters, however, think that here, as in 2 Sam 15–20, the men of Israel refers specifically to the military. To king Solomon is left implied in Good News Translation, but this may be included in translation unless it is considered unnatural in the receptor language.
At the feast in the month Ethanim, which is the seventh month: The feast is the Festival of Shelters. Regulations regarding this festival are found in Lev 23.34-43. The name Ethanim occurs here only in the Old Testament. Since this Canaanite month name was no longer known and used by the Israelite people when this account was written, the author explains to his readers that this corresponds to the seventh month (not the month of July, as a literal rendering might be understood in some languages). This month was later called “Tishri” and corresponds to modern mid-September to mid-October. New Living Translation says “in early autumn,” and Peregrino has “in the month of October (the seventh month).” These renderings have the advantage of showing that the seventh month does not mean the modern seventh month of July. But it will probably be better to keep the name found in the Hebrew text and then indicate in a footnote that this corresponds to September/October. See Appendix A, “The Hebrew Calendar.” See also the comments on 6.1.
Since the reference to the feast is not merely to any feast, but to a specific feast of great importance, it may be identified by name for readers today (so Good News Translation, Contemporary English Version, Parole de Vie, Peregrino). Revised English Bible calls this “the pilgrim-feast in the month Ethanim.” The Hebrew noun translated feast is nearly always used in reference to a pilgrim feast. Since the Festival of Shelters was one of three annual feasts in which Israelite males were required to travel to the Temple in Jerusalem, translators may wish to follow the model of Revised English Bible and call this a “pilgrim feast.” The other two pilgrim festivals were the Passover and Feast of Unleavened Bread in the first month (March/April) and the Feast of Weeks, which occurred seven weeks after Passover. Note that the original readers would have understood this reference to the feast as a reference to this particular feast. For this reason the International Children’s Bible translation, which reads “This was during a festival in the month of Ethanim,” is misleading since it suggests, in English, that the reference is not to a particular festival, but simply to “a festival.” New Living Translation may provide a helpful model with “at the annual Festival of Shelters.”
Quoted with permission from Omanson, Roger L. and Ellington, John E. A Handbook on 1-2 Kings, Volume 1. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 2008. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .
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